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Thursday, March 23, 2006

My wife and I have been looking for a solution for storing leftover bbq and at long last we've identified the solution--a vacuum sealer. Leftover bbq will store for a few days in standard plastic bowls with lids, but more than a few days of storage requires something more substantial. Enter the vacuum sealer solution.

The vacuum sealer extend the storage life of food by withdrawing oxygen that accelerates the deterioriation that hastens the spoilage process in food. After cooking, we just place the remaining meat into a bag of the appropriate size, press a button and less than a minute later we have a professional quality vacuum seal that will store in the freezer or refrigerator with ease.

When we have a craving for bbq, we just pop the bag into a pan of hot water and--presto--we have a bbq meal at our fingertips.

I'll be the first to warn prospective vacuum sealer shoppers that the CG-15 Commercial Grade Vacuum Sealer is not inexpensive. Ours cost $399.99 and the 15 x 18 size bags were another $45.00, but when you bbq as much as we do...and can't eat all that you cook in one setting (we often cook 10-15 lbs. of meat at a time), the vacuum sealer is a wise investment.

Here are some alternatives to the Cabela's model that are a little more economical.

10 comments:

If you like the cg-15, check out the pro 2300 vacuum sealer. It is an improved version. The pro 2300 has a fan to help keep it cool in the same location as the cg-15 holds the cord. Both sealers are 15" and the pro 2300 is pulling 28+ pounds in hg. I have been testing this unit and I have posted some video on the site:

I too have tested the Pro-2300 model and found it superior to the CG-15 , shorter vacuum time it does not heat up, and has a softer gasket which seems to help in the sealing process.You can purchase at www.vacmesh.com

I recently bought a CG-15, even though the Pro-2100/Pro-2300 sealerswere due. CG-15 provides incredible vacuum sealing, and I haven't foundanything lacking in the seal as well. CG-15 already has 935 Watts of power.I am extremely happy with this purchase.

CG-15 does not have 935 watts of power it has 450 watts Pro-2300 has 715 watts check cabela's OWN website Cabela's CG-15 Vacuum Sealer Capable of drawing a 28-1/2" vacuum with 450 watts of power, this unit has all the horsepower you need to ensure an airtight seal. The 15" sealing bar is the biggest in the industry. Dimensions: 19" x 12-1/4" x 5".

Whether you are looking to protect game and fish from the harmful effects of oxygen and freezer burn, or keep your hunting garments scent-free, nothing is as effective as a quality vacuum sealer. With its stainless steel body and double-piston pump, this high-powered, commercial-grade vacuum sealer will keep food fresh up to five-times longer than traditional storage methods. Capable of drawing a 28-1/2" vacuum with 935 watts of power, this unit has all the horsepower you need to ensure an airtight seal and its industrial construction guarantees this unit will stand up to many seasons of use. If you intend to preserve large roasts or keep a bulky parka odorless, the CG-15 is the ideal solution

We looked at the Cabela's unit and the Pro2300 and Pro2100 all by the same Weston manufacture.

We chose a Vacupack Elite. The Elite is a much nicer size unit for a kitchen. We found the Weston product to over sized to have out all the time.

The Vacupack Elite defers the water away from the pump. Verses sucking it straight into the pump like the Weston products.

It is almost impossible to flood the Vacupack Elite pump but if one were even able to flood the unit with the extended vacuum port. It has a water trap diversion to protect the unit. The Weston products just die! Oh are are not covered by warranty!!

The Vacupack Elite has a much better heat bar. It crimps and seals wet products in the bag like no other unit on the market. Wet products with the Weston units fail most times and need a paper towel in the bag to protect the unit.

The Vacupack Elite is built in Italy with USA upgrades from a company that has been in the business (with verification) longer than anyone. Thom Dolder knows what it takes to make a good home product. After all the Vacupack Original has been the all time #1 selling unit since 1984, now thats a long time.

The Vacupack Elite even has a 5 year servicing backing up the quality. The Weston products have a limited 1 year warranty.

The quality of the Vacupack Elite unit really shines though with extended use verses the Weston products built in China which need heat tape and gaskets, electonic parts ect on a constant basis.

Vacuum packing smoke dry meat is fine but a vacuum sealer in the home is for a wide variety of items. Why settle for a unit that can not seal wet bags with out destroying your investment?

Yes the Vacupack Elite is more expensive than any of the Weston products, mostly because it is not built in China. But also because it has far superior functions and abilities for sealing wet products. It is also far more energy efficient no need to 935 watts to get the job done. It is a very high production unit and soooo much better looking!

The Vacupack Elite is our choice.www.officialvacupack.com But you can see lots of video footage of it on Youtube.

Wow got lots of distributors of the Weston product commenting. How about the real cutomers who have used the products? If you could get past your wallet you would find out the Weston Products are Cheap China crap and fail as badly after 1 year as the Foodsaver garbage. All the same retail crap.

The Cabela's Pro Series is the second vacuum sealer I have owned and I must say it is faster and easier to use than the first one we had (a Game Saver Sport Plus). The only question I have is how to hook up the tube for sealing jars. Anyone know?

I have a vacuum sealer, but I don’t use it much anymore and I never take it out on the boat. I find that I like to use zip lock bags for storing my fish. I put the fish in, and a little water. Then I seal the bag until I have about 1 inch left. I carefully roll the bag up pushing all of the air out I roll the water by the sealed part of the bag, and then roll past that last 1 inch as I seal the last of it up (put a towel under the bag to catch the water at the end). This way the air is 99% gone, and the fish lasts a long time. I think a vacuum may be better for other things, but the bags are so expensive.

About Me

Brian Pearcy competed in bbq contests sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society and Florida Barbecue Association. He has published more than 940 articles about bbq cooking. Brian authors two bbq web sites: The BBQ Guy and BBQ Blog. His prize winning bbq spice rubs have earned numerous awards.

Like many bbq enthusiasts, I've spent the last few years dreaming, thinking, and researching different types of equipment to use in a fu...

BBQ Tips

How to keep BBQ hot if you're not quite ready to eat it...

use an ice chest/ice cooler. Put some hot water in an empty ice chest, close the lid and let it set for 3 or 4 minutes. Drain the hot water and you've got yourself a portable BBQ warmer. We've kept pork butts warm this way for 6 or 7 hours.

How to keep your hands clean when cooking BBQ...

use powder free latex gloves. They come in packs of 100 at the local Sam's and will keep your hands clean. You'll maintain good sanitary practices too.

How to keep your spouse interested in the BBQ hobby...

get him/her involved in it with you. It's a lot of fun. You meet nice people and it's something you can do together.

How to keep your BBQ expenses in line with your budget...

Research all your purchases thoroughly. Make sure your purchase will do what you want it to do BEFORE you purchase it. For example, if you want to learn to cook whole hogs, you probably need to consider a big cooker or if you want to cook 10-15 racks spare ribs every weekend you're going to need something bigger than a WSM.

How to continually improve your BBQ recipes...

keep records of your cooking efforts including cook times, prepping techniques used and especially measurements for sauces or rubs and spices used. When you tweak the recipe for taste, only change one thing at a time--change the cook time, change the rub, change the sauce, but try to avoid completely changing everything all at once. Small changes to your technique and recipes will help you focus on the effects better and you'll be able to fine tune the product quality more efficiently.

How to BBQ Brisket

Brisket has become one of my favorite foods to barbecue. A pencil width slice of properly cooked brisket lightly coated with some Blues Hog BBQ Sauce is hard to beat.

I prefer to cook briskets in my Weber Smokey Mountain (WSM). I receive quite a few e-mails asking for help with barbecue brisket and thought I'd share some questions I received today.

Do you cook brisket with direct or indirect heat?

I use indirect heat and cook the brisket slowly at a temperature of 225-250 degrees.

Do you cook with fat cap up or fat cap down?

I begin cooking the brisket fat cap up for the first cooking segment. I don't flip until the brisket reaches 130 degrees or so. That's the point when the bark starts to harden a little bit. Then I flip it to fat side down. I used to skip this part but wanted a little more bark and found that this method will promote more bark formation.

Do you use foil?

I wrap in foil when the internal brisket temp is 165 degrees or if it's been cooking for at least 5 hours. Most of my briskets are completely done in 8 hours or so. I cook to an internal temp of 196-198 degrees and hold them in an Igloo cooler for a few hours to "rest" before slicing.

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